The Fallacy of one True Perspective?

I don’t know? Maybe you should ask Heber. 🙂

😆 :clap: :thumbup:

Good one. I know we’ve discussed this before, I guess it just hit me in a new way recently. Maybe I’m hoping someone else will have more time to expound. I really shouldn’t be on here today. :shh:

I think the church would have us believe that we all have the right to revelation, unless, of course, it doesn’t agree with the revelations those in authority claim to have.

And I think we all know it’s difficult to distinguish what is revelation and what is our own individual thought patterns. Really, only when I personally KNOW matters to me anymore. Claims of revelation from anyone at all, no matter how high, need to be confirmed by myself to be valid claims of revelation.

This is not inconsistent with the teachings of the church, by the way, but I find that leaders, however, will also play the revelation card to get us to do things, or to justify rebuking us for not doing the things they would like us to do. I’ve seen that a number of times in our local church that has a problem with people not contributing, as well as dysfunction.

I think of the story of the blind men and the elephant. The elephant is always the elephant. In other words, perhaps it is the “one true” reality of the elephant.

But the blind men grope and feel the part closest to them. One describes it as a powerful snake (the trunk). Another describes it as a spear (the tusks). Yet another describes it as a great mountain (the body).

Each is true, and the one-and-only-true truth they experience. I’m not so sure I want to even go so far as to call religions different versions of the one-true elephant. I think it happens on an individual level. Each of us are blind in our own way. That doesn’t make the elephant stop existing.

I’ve been thinking of this topic a little and would like to open a discussion. I see a paradox at work between LDS culture and teachings on this topic. On the one hand we are taught that The Lord will reveal to individuals truths or insights based on their unique ability to comprehend…

…yet on the other hand there seems to be a view among church members that there is One true and proper way to view the “truths” of the gospel.

It makes the most sense to me that even if we’re talking about the same thing, such as a famous landmark or object, the description of that item could vary significantly from different perspectives – or as viewed from different positions.

Thoughts?

As far as the general principles of core doctrines, I think the views should be very similar.

I think of the story of the blind men and the elephant. The elephant is always the elephant. In other words, perhaps it is the “one true” reality of the elephant.

But the blind men grope and feel the part closest to them. One describes it as a powerful snake (the trunk). Another describes it as a spear (the tusks). Yet another describes it as a great mountain (the body).

Each is true, and the one-and-only-true truth they experience. I’m not so sure I want to even go so far as to call religions different versions of the one-true elephant. I think it happens on an individual level. Each of us are blind in our own way. That doesn’t make the elephant stop existing.

Maybe we need seek to see the entire elephant, and then we will have more unity.

What’s worse is that some of the most antagonistic disputes are basically over matters of taste or personal preference where there really is no consistent way to establish which position is clearly better in every case.

:thumbup: +1.

I agree, DA. It is our point of view (as cwald mentioned), but then the temptation is to declare it “the best” point of view and even worse to discounting others’ and thinking they need to see it our way. The Church can fall into these temptations of egocentric views of their perception of truth, and exclusivity and criticism of others’ because many believe the “ONE” truth is completely understood in the Church…and yet, the Church teaches continuous revelation. There is the paradox. We have truth, and we will continue to learn more as Bruce R. McConkie so well stated in reference to the teachings of the blacks and the priesthood. We thought we were right about racial doctrines, now we know we weren’t and we see more clearly now thanks to a prophet giving further light and knowledge.

If a person is saying that an Elephant is a fan, because they’ve touched the ear, and they do not believe there is anything to an elephant other than a fan, they are a fool and they are wrong. Why would fans be so high and heavy to move? No…there is more to the elephant than that. However, they are not wrong in describing a part of an elephant is like a fan, or a rope, or a pillar. Those are true that parts of elephants are like those things. And yet, we sometimes get very critical and sit in our large and spacious building to mock others, thinking that they only think elephants are fans…how much better they’d be if they thought like us, when the person describing the fan knows there is more to the elephant, they’re just trying to describe a part of it…and yet are judged for doing the same thing others are doing, trying to describe the true essence and true form which often eludes us with constraints of language and thought.

I think many in the Church (from what I hear on Sundays) are too prideful that we think we know so much more than others, and are favored by God to have more truth, better truth, more complete truth as we judge others as so limited with their insufficient truth.

Maybe we need seek to see the entire elephant, and then we will have more unity.

I agree Shawn, and yet…we are trying to do this, and others are trying, everyone is doing this…and everyone thinks they are seeing the entire elephant and thinking that “other” groups are only seeing the tail, leg, tusks, ear. But, what if the reality is…we can’t, and never will be able to, see the entire elephant in this mortal existence. We only get closer to understanding it as we go…but no one, including mormons, sees the whole elephant, and never will.

That doesn’t make the Church dishonest for believing their perspective is the best. It is just their opinion. It doesn’t make it false, it just is trying to see more and more as we go. The foolish think they see it all, and there is no more to see.

A Book of Mormon, A Prophet, we have a Book of Mormon and a prophet, and there cannot be any more, we do not need any more than these.

2 Ne 29:10-11:

10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

…that doesn’t mean the Book of Mormon and our prophets were ALL the other words. God speaks to those in the East, West, North, and South. They are all His children. There are many perspectives, and what we accept as truth depends greatly on our point of view.

“We see through a glass, darkly” sums it up pretty well for me.

I try to remember that it applies to me, not just to those who see things differently than I do. If the leading evangelical Christian back in the day can say that (someone who comes across in the Bible with about as black-and-white thinking as it gets), I think it applies to far more of us in far more ways than we naturally like to believe.

I agree with this.

Do you think, this kind of view and evolving spiritually, leads many of NOMish folks to agnostic beliefs?

I don’t boast of being and agnostic…but I readily admit I don’t KNOW anything. I am to the point where i am open to being wrong on EVERYTHING (except the 14 F’s of the Prophet, of course 🙂 )

Of course the idea of one true perspective is a falacy and folly … unless you believe otherwise.

That’s game.

Go home.